title: Students as patients and teachers: evaluation of an experiential emergency contraception project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Students on a required family medicine clerkship participated in an experiential project designed to teach them about emergency contraception (EC). This study describes students' changes in knowledge and attitudes about barriers to care after assuming the patient role and presenting their findings to peers and after hearing a presentation about EC from their peers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This mixed-methods study used quantitative measures of knowledge and attitudes about EC before and after the students' family medicine clerkship. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with all students who self-selected the EC Project and assumed the role of a patient and then taught their peers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All student groups showed improvement in knowledge and attitude scores, though gains were not statistically significant. Students who participated in the EC Project reported multiple benefits related to (1) assuming the role of the patient, (2) engaging in an experiential learning process, (3) teaching their peers, and (4) considering their future role as clinicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that playing the role of a patient and teaching their peers are valuable learning experiences, and students can learn well during peer-taught sessions. Students increased their medical knowledge and sensitivity to the barriers that patients face and began to consider their role in improving systems of health care.
authors.affiliation: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Great Neck, NY 11021, USA. afornari@nshs.edu
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fornari
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herbitter
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boden
authors.forename: Marji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gold
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010379:Peer Group; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D012381:Role Playing; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires